Flowers for Algernon
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: The night before the Keyblade War, Sora and Kairi spend what could be their last night together. At first opting to live in a memory of theirs, the two think they could never be happier, but the moment they realize they're deluding themselves… they instead choose to have faith in their love, and to choose reality. With each other, they have hope for the next day.


**Author's Note: So, this story is a bit weird and confusing. I'm not gonna lie. So you can understand things better, I'm going to spoil a little of what's happening. Basically? This takes place the night before the clash of the Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses, and Sora and Kairi are spending what might be their final moments together. Also, using magic, they've sort of "gone back to a time" when they were together before DDD began (the few months Sora was back home after KHII), but none of where they're at is real (and they both know it). And Sora and Kairi are officially a couple when this story begins.**

**Well, I think that covers everything (and will make this more understandable). Enjoy! (I hope.)**

**Also, this is strictly rated "T", people. There's a lot of making out going on here, and it's not anything worse than what you'd see in a PG-13 movie (actually probably tamer than one), but if that sort of thing bothers you (or you're not a teen), you might should turn away now. Yeah... **

**Flowers for Algernon **

Kairi stroked the curved edges of her Destiny's Place Keyblade, whilst Sora sat on her bed and tried not to laugh at her. For such an action (even in suppressing most of his laughs), he was instantly met with a glare, but as it came from Kairi… it didn't hold much weight.

Also, perhaps even a bit more recklessly, Sora found himself trying to more comfortably lean against the "beams" that held Kairi's room together. Though Kairi's room had pretty much been a patio since before Sora had even met her (as parts of it had apparently always been outside), it was right now—that they were using magic to create the room artificially –that it reminded Sora the most of the buildings he'd seen in Hercules' world.

And perhaps it was remembering words such as, "people do crazy things when they're in love" that Sora felt most off kilter. Tomorrow they'd-

Stopping his train of thought right there, Sora instead opted to smile at Kairi widely, and continue on the façade they'd laid out for themselves on this night. "Kairi what are you doing?" Sora asked, as he found it wasn't difficult to laugh at Kairi's awed expression at all, and rather was beginning to find the _entire_ night hilarious. If only things could stay this way…

Looking up from what normally would have been Kairi's computer desk (if the place they were in had been real, that is), Kairi's face showed traces of shock and amazement, as she took in the form of her boyfriend on her bed. Smiling at Sora sweetly, the brunette teen _could _almost believe she really had forgotten he was there, and wasn't just acting like she had. Almost.

Quickly reverting to the bold persona she was most known for, Kairi smirked a bit evilly, and leveling another glare at Sora, she threw a plushie at him, and demanded, "What? Don't you know these are the only flowers Riku's ever given me?"

And it was the pure innocence she was adorning on her face, and the way she was blinking her eyes closed so baffled, that Sora found himself rolling on the floor in laughter. This was exactly what he'd needed for this night, and he could only hope when this moment ended… he would with it.

After calming down for a bit, and getting air into his very parched lungs, Sora raised an eyebrow at Kairi (that probably ended up being more suggestive than he'd intended), and informed her that the Keyblade had technically come from her heart. Not from Riku. "And the flowers are just your Keyblade's true appearance. So it's not like Riku had anything to do with what it looks like, either. So Riku's _never_ given you flowers, Kai."

And though Sora knew the slight bit of disappointment on Kairi's face at his words was just for old time's sake, he couldn't help but feel a tad bit jealous. Actually, Sora was fairly certain that his face probably looked as pained as if he'd just sucked on a sour lemon or something; the way Kairi soon arched an eyebrow at him (which was intentionally seductive), he knew well that she was mocking him.

"Why are you thinking about Riku and flowers, anyway?" Sora asked with a wee bit of curiosity, as Kairi seemed to give up on "doing homework", and instead came to sit by Sora (swaying her hips during her walk all the while). To tell the truth, Sora knew the answer to this quite well. They _were_ reenacting a scene from their past, after all (a scene that Sora wished would been continued normally, and not with him having gone to take his Mark of Mastery), but as the sound of Kairi's voice always made his heart feel alight, Sora knew it all wasn't bad.

To the contrary, as Kairi finally completely snuggled herself in Sora's arms—and she leaned her forehead against his—Sora knew that no moment could have ever been as perfect as the one he was in now.

As Kairi looked at the floor, and away from Sora like the time they'd first had this conversation, he wasn't at all surprised when Kairi's eyes locked onto her strands of hair that lay discarded on the carpet. He did, however, have to blush a bit at the memory of just how they'd gotten there what seemed like a lifetime ago. "Would you believe that I'm trying to get my parents to think Riku has a thing for me?"

"Nope. I wouldn't believe it at all," Sora deadpanned, as he slipped easily into the role he'd been in when this memory had actually occurred. Really, it was almost genius that he and Kairi had taken to spending what could-be last moments together, in one of their favorite memories. This way, hopefully they could keep bleak knowledge from clouding what should have been an otherwise happy moment.

But then again, this entire time… Sora hadn't been able to stop thinking of the war with Xehanort at all, had he? Maybe there was no help for it. Or maybe, he just needed to look into Kairi's beautiful eyes more. Taking her chin into his hands, Sora quickly guided Kairi's face to look at his. And with a small smile, and a gesture of his hand, Sora encouraged Kairi to continue where she'd left off.

"Our main problem is that my parents don't trust you after that _one_ time, Sora. But what's even weirder is that they still trust Riku, who they once jokingly deemed 'the troubled child'. Anyway, you know my parents are pretty new-aged, right? I think the real problem here is that they think we acted out of character for our age, but if they see _Riku_ come onto me in the same way, they'll be forced to realize that this whole thing is natural—and what everyone's doing—and let us be together!"

Chuckling to himself slightly, as Kairi wrapped her arms around his neck, Sora had to wonder if _this_ was the kind of thing she'd been thinking, when she should have been training with Yen Sid. Not that Sora was complaining that she'd think of him in such a way, of course! But he did sort of wish Kairi had thought of this crazy idea of hers when their "situation" had actually been happening, rather than allowing her parents to keep her away from him until he'd had to depart.

But then again, maybe it wouldn't have worked, anyway. Kairi _was_ there daughter, after all. Open-minded or not, they would have always been protective of her.

"Kairi," Sora said, as he thought it was probably best he continue with his role now, too (the puppy-dog-pout Kairi was giving him now was just too cute to not listen to!)."I don't know if that plan would work well. More likely than not, you'll get Riku banned, too. Look, I don't mind sneaking in. After all, my Keyblade is kind of geared for helping me out when I need to use it, so-"

Ugh. Even now, when Sora was just reliving a memory he'd had quite a bit ago, he still sounded like nothing more than a hormonal teenager. It was just- just so embarrassing! Especially since Kairi deserved more. Thinking he might have done it last time, too, Sora wasn't surprised at all when Kairi giggled at him, when he attempted to turn her away, so she wouldn't see his blushing face.

But, of course, with Kairi being Kairi… she didn't need to see just how she'd struck him, to "wound" him even more with her intricate wordplay. Tapping Sora on the nose lightly, and making a show of turning in Sora's arms (as if to say he couldn't hide her away from the horrors of the world, even in protecting her), Kairi exclaimed, "You haven't used your Keyblade in awhile, Mister Master. Are you sure you're up to par to create a seal on the door?"

"Kairi, the Keyblade is pretty much my heart incarnate. If doing such a thing will keep us together, I'm sure you'll find it's perfectly capable of doing that task." And as Sora kissed Kairi's lips lightly, and brushed some of her hair down with his hand, he reveled in his moment with Kairi, and prayed his words would be true in other instances, too. Like with the war of the Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses.

However, though Sora wanted to continue that line of thought desperately (and come up with some sure fire way to keep Kairi safe), he suddenly found himself completely distracted, with the feel of Kairi's legs on either side of him. Good god, was she- Why yes, Kairi certainly was straddling him!

Batting her eyelashes rather sensually at Sora now (and yet smiling at him with the innocence of a schoolgirl), Sora had to wonder if her intent really was to make love with him before, or in case- Or was she just messing with him again?! Though Sora didn't doubt Kairi might have just been pulling his strings even more than she already was, something about the way she'd been acting tonight made Sora feel as though she really wanted this, and that she might have been afraid he wouldn't want her, while thinking about everything else. Such a thing was ludicrous of course, but-

"Kairi, I-" And though Sora tried desperately to explain to Kairi his thoughts and feelings, he suddenly found speaking to be a very tricky thing indeed, when the girl of his dreams began peppering kisses down his neck. Moaning a tad bit at her pleasuring movements, Sora tried to remember what he'd been meaning to say, but the answer wouldn't come. To that end, he wasn't even sure what his name was even mor-

_Sora, I don't think this is a good idea. I don't think either of you are in your right minds at the moment, and if you give in now… won't it just give Kairi the idea that you've given up on the idea of surviving tomorrow?_ And just as soon as the helpful voice of Roxas popped up in his head, Sora realized that everything his Other was saying was spot on. Idly, Sora wondered if Naminé was having a similar conversation with Kairi at the moment, but instead of asking that, he decided on doing something much more important for him and Kairi in this state of mind: he stopped them from jumping over the edge.

Aiming to stop their impromptu makeout session before things could get too far out of hand, the Keyblade master meant to roll Kairi beneath him, as to stop her from acting any further, but somehow… what happened instead was exactly what Sora had been trying to prevent. Driven half-mad by the smell of Kairi's perfume, and the small smile she gave him whilst pulling at his hair, Sora soon found himself running his lips over _Kairi's_ neck, while his hand moved with a mind of its own, so as to hitch Kairi's leg over his hip.

As Sora ran a hand through Kairi's ruby tresses, he was beginning to think he'd never known such a pleasure as loving Kairi so fully and—despite all odds—having her love him the same way, but that was nothing compared to the feelings that were invoked in him when Kairi began licking his ear, and began pulling at a few of his chest hairs. There was also, of course, the erotic-ness of the breathy moan Kairi liked to make (and she didn't disappoint now), but oddly enough… even though the sound probably would have desperately spurred Sora on any other day, the sound of it now cleared his head a bit, and reminded him of exactly why they needed to stop. After all, moans were sounds made of both great pleasure and pain, and she could very well be hurt tomorrow-

"Sora," Kairi moaned, as she arched her back, and leaned in even closer to her boyfriend. As Kairi's eyes filled with a sort of fire and love that Sora had seen most in her when she was fighting, Sora was momentarily caught off guard by a bout of his own love for Kairi.

That look was _exactly_ why he fought like he did. Because if the happiness and adoration in her eyes ever went out, Sora had no idea what he'd do. A happy Kairi meant more to Sora than anything he'd ever known, and he would raise hell to keep it that way...

The blessing of Kairi in his life had been more than he'd ever thought to ask for, but even though Sora had her now… he didn't want to think that any of it was a dream, and unwittingly that was exactly what they'd put themselves into. A dream of their own making. Good god, hadn't he learned anything from being in the Realm of Sleep?

"Kairi, we have to stop," Sora announced, as he pulled away from Kairi hesitantly, and began wiping the tears that had begun falling from her eyes. Even for as big of optimists as they were, even Sora and Kairi had to admit that hope could sometimes be an outright lie, and the moment they were living in now was no exception to that rule. They needed to come back to reality.

And so, in that moment, Sora had decided that if these were his last moments alive, he'd much rather go out as himself, rather than someone lost in a spiral of false hope. He fervently hoped that Kairi was beginning to feel the same way, too. "We could die with the War tomorrow, Kairi. And… I don't want what could be my last night with you to be with us endorsing a lie. I'm sorry."

And the truth was, Sora _was_ sorry. Sorry for all that fate had decided to throw at them, sorry that he'd never been to Kairi what he should have been, but most of all... he was sorry the most for that Kairi might get killed the following day, and as much as he tried to stop it… there was probably nothing he could do to prevent it at all. Such a thing was something that not even playacting could save Sora from, and that was a hard pill to swallow for sure.

From the very beginning, Sora had had to lie to himself to keep going, and it was weird to know he couldn't or shouldn't be doing such a thing now. But perhaps more than anything he ever had in his life, Sora wished he could lie to himself about all the ways he had—and would—fail Kairi. As the thought really hit Sora with its weight, he at once wanted to throw up for what it all might very well end up meaning, but he wasn't lying to himself anymore. At least in that regard, he was getting stronger.

"Sora, the truth is that just now... I wasn't in denial, either. I was hoping those flowers Riku gave me could be an epitaph of sorts, for if we- if we… But even then, if the worst should happen, Sora, I want it to be with a smile on my face, and me having no regrets. But that doesn't mean I've been living in a fantasy world here, Sora. I, least of all, have ever had the luxury of pretending, but that doesn't mean we can't do other sorts of imaginary games, and still remember, does it?"

As Sora listened intently to Kairi's words, he knew he probably had a wide assortment of emotions appear on his face. Perhaps the keenest one was guilt. Because how had he ever been so stupid enough to believe Kairi had been deluding herself? She had suffered more than any of them had, with having had to wait alone for their safe return, and now… Well, there was more than one reason that Sora was willing to tell Kairi they could try and make up for lost time (as long as they didn't fool themselves). There were many reasons, indeed.

"Kairi, hey-" Sora shouted a tad bit surprised, as Kairi tugged on his arms (and accidentally caused him to hit his head on her box springs), as she apparently aimed to interrupt whatever Sora had been planning to say next. However, the moment the world-worn Keyblade wielder noted that Kairi was singing some of Ariel's "Part of Your World" to herself, all his planned words died in his throat. Instead, and in its place, Sora began feeling a completely new emotion filling him up. Had Kairi's grabbing his hands... Had that been a reference to what Sora had told Kairi about Ariel saving Eric's life?

Hit with a sudden case of vertigo, Sora was almost horrified to realize that even though Kairi _had_ gone to some worlds with him to help secure the other Princesses of Heart... they hadn't really had any of the fun adventures Sora had envisioned with her in the past.

And with that wave of knowledge hit Sora, despite his earlier words, he knew that pretending with Kairi that they were the denizens of the other worlds (and that they would get a happy ending) was exactly what Sora wanted to do. And as Sora felt his usual, chipper-self warming up at the thought of all his friends—and the strength he got from them—he knew exactly what he wanted to do next.

"Here, Kai!" Sora announced, as he used a new spell Merlin had taught him to conjure up a certain replica of a glass cup. "This is a lot like what Chip looked like at the Beast's Castle. You remember me telling you about that, right? Well, maybe we can pretend to be Belle and the Beast! I _have_ been a little bit too melancholy lately, huh? Kairi, I'm sor-"

And before Sora could even finishing getting out the name of his beloved, he suddenly found himself sandwiched in between Kairi's arms, and the cup he'd just talked about (as Kairi was dangling it over his back). In that moment, as Sora reveled in the smell of Kairi's watermelon perfume, and the warmth of her body that seemed a testament to the warm Light in her heart, Sora couldn't help but remember the similar hug they'd shared at The World That Never Was.

And once again, the shock of it left Sora gaping like a fish at the memory of it all. Somehow... hugs from Kairi just felt so right, and better than anything else in the world. And it was because of such thoughts, that Sora was able to wrap his arms around Kairi as tight as he could, and rest his head on her chin, and take in their moment completely.

"Thank you," Kairi whispered so quietly, that Sora almost wondered if he was hearing her say it at all, and wasn't just feeling her lips form the words against his skin. "This is just what I need, Sora. This is what I've always needed, and-"

As Kairi promptly pulled away from Sora before even finishing her sentence, Sora's first reaction was to look at her a bit startled and worriedly, but in the end, it all ended up being in vain. As Kairi adopted a coy look on her face, and put a hand to her hip, the Keyblade wielder knew full well that she was preparing to make one of her biting remarks, and he'd never been gladder that she was. A world without Kairi's fire, after all, wasn't a world worth living in at all, was it?

Smiling serenely at the thought of all the wonderful traits that made up Kairi, Sora listened happily as she said, "You know, I might just have to fill this cup up with tea, and slurp from it completely un-lady like. You said Chip liked to make bubble messes everywhere, right? And, of course, that isn't even accounting for the stories you told me about the Beast trying to drink soup..."

"Silly, Kairi. Those messes are nothing compared to the ones the human enchanted into a bar of soap made. Let me tell you, that guy bubbled—and made a ton more messes—than Chip ever did."

As Sora looked at Kairi with a ghost of a smile on his face (as even when he was trying to lie with grace, he couldn't help but smile in Kairi's presence), he wasn't surprised at all when Kairi figured him out, and punched him in the arm for his action. In fact, as he laughed just the slightest bit at her mock punch, Sora couldn't help but feel that just for this moment… everything was right in the world.

"Yeah right, Sora! I don't believe you at all, you liar! You never mentioned that before, did you? So that proves that it's a blatant lie! You know, I think you're just trying to win a battle of wills, through recalling 'Slippery Soap' from 'Blues Clues' off the top of your head. Do you really expect me to believe-"

In the end, the duo's conversation was cut off, as an explosion overhead pulled them both from their banter. Reaching for Kairi immediately, Sora hoped that a branch of Heartless hadn't just attacked them or something. Taking a second to look Kairi over, Sora tried to digest what had just happened, and check her for injuries. Fortunately Kairi didn't seem at all hurt, but-

As even more seemed to point out that it very well could be their last night together, the brunette found that he _was_ especially happy now, that they'd spent some of their night realistically hoping and dreaming. Truly he was. He wanted, like Kairi had, for their last moments to be happy, but that didn't stop him from taking initiative.

"Kairi," Sora said urgently, as he shook his girlfriend's shoulders, to hint at the severity of the situation. "We should probably get out of here. I've joked in the past that your room was like castle turrets, but-"

"But now it's becoming like a broken portcullis, right? Soon, it won't be able to keep us from danger; soon it won't be able to protect us from anything." As Kairi's face had been completely grave, and almost trance-like, Sora's first thought as she'd spoken had been to ask her (a little childishly) if she was alright, but as Kairi's face changed to one of some strange bit of excitement, Sora found himself sighing good-naturedly instead. It seemed Kairi, once again, was just messing with him. "But for now, don't worry, Sora. I think we just used up all our energy dreaming this place up, so now it's 'shattered,' and we're just back at the island like beforehand."

The moment Kairi turned away from Sora, but in such a way that he was still holding onto her hand, Sora couldn't help but feel they'd gotten sent into a Shakespeare play or something (at least for her poetic earlier words, not for the later explanatory ones). It was completely fitting, of course, as many of Sora's friends—which he'd just been discussing with Kairi— often made him think of such things, but...

Well, as much as Sora loved how poetic sounding Kairi could be, the truth was… Sora didn't want their story to end in a Shakespearian tragedy at all.

Speaking of which… well, what do you know? It seemed as though one of the fake nails Kairi wore had fallen into the grass. Plucking it up quickly, Sora held the little thing to his heart for an instance, and prayed that it wasn't a sign that more of Kairi would be on the ground in the morrow while dying. Truthfully, Sora prayed for all of his friends to be blessed, but mostly, he prayed for his Iri.

"I remember it well, you know," Kairi muttered, as she led Sora away from what had been her "room" just a moment ago, and to an even grassier part of the Islands. At least then, Kairi seemed completely oblivious to where Sora's thoughts had taken him, and he was desperate to keep it that way. He didn't even want to think about her possible demise himself. He didn't-

As Sora swallowed, and decided to try and follow Kairi in his own trance of sorts (and just forget certain things for now), he was almost certain that the stars that reflected on his face were probably making him look like one of those "connect the dots" exercises. Sighing a little irritated at that, Sora was beginning to wonder how the day could possibly get any weirder, but that was before he suddenly found himself being pushed to the ground (while Kairi hovered so close to him, that her lavender dress brushed his face in the wind).

Recovering his wits very quickly (and not even noting how Kairi's gorgeously sculpted legs were perfectly in his line of vision), Sora was about to ask Kairi what on earth she was doing, as he'd never liked the feeling of lace—or worse, felt—against his skin (and her dress' movements was tickling his face terribly), but he was brought up short when he realized Kairi hadn't finished her thought from earlier (and he really shouldn't have minded her dress at all; rather, he should have been standing with his arms around her, since it very well might have been their last night together).

"Kairi..." Sora muttered, torn between standing up and walking to her simply, or crawling to her like a knight swearing fealty to a princess. The knight he really felt he was to her.

"You're not wrong to worry, Sora. Though we created this night together, well, mostly I did, you lazy bum," and here Kairi took a moment to pause, and smirk at Sora with the persona Sora knew her best for, but she was quick to return her attention to the matter at hand. Looking down a bit for that, Sora was surprised to find he felt the slightest bit sad for it. Despite his earlier thoughts, he… "But anyway, even in what should have been our perfect world for but a moment, we still couldn't escape from things, and I wonder if we ever can."

Getting to his feet the way he should have all along, Sora stood up, and was upon Kairi in a millisecond. Wrapping his arms around Kairi's torso, Sora buried his face in his girlfriend's hair, and for a moment just let himself be with her. Even then, his words came spilling out soon enough, and it seemed it was Kairi—leaning her head into Sora's embrace—that spurred them on. "Kairi," Sora muttered, as he unconsciously noted some of the fireflies' light turn the night's darkness into shades of reds, blues, and violets. "I'm not entirely sure I know where your emotions are at tonight, but… Kairi, you did more than enough. And even if this is our last night together, and it wasn't entirely perfect- Well, you've done the best you could for both of us, so don't you be berating yourself, young lady." And as Sora had always known Kairi better than anyone ever had, he wasn't surprised when he reached around to brush a finger over her face, and felt tears there. In a way, Kairi wasn't Kairi if she didn't try to hold the weight of the world, and though it pained Sora to know she carried that much weight (they both did), he'd never felt more besotted to Kairi than he did in this moment. Kairi… how he loved her.

"Sora, 'I love but thee with a love that shall not die. 'Till the sun grows cold and the stars grow ol'-"

Cutting off the words from Kairi that he would have usually cherished, Sora found that he was turning Kairi around to face him for the first time that night (as before he'd been jokingly pushing her away), and instead of letting her continue… he told Kairi the sort of love words she _should_ have been using. Ones where she _wasn't_ secretly belittling herself. "Kairi," Sora was quick to interrupt his girlfriend, as he held her even closer to him. "With a love that powerful, you should never be moved to doubt what you've done with it, so please don't. Don't you see, Kairi? I had to be taught that, too. But I-"

At the smell of gasoline suddenly filling up his nostrils, it took the young Keyblade wielder a minute to understand just what had happened, and just why it was significant. Far removed from the words he'd meant to say, Sora instead found himself curious at the strange eraser Kairi was holding at his face… It seemed- it seemed to have a game board carved onto it? Just what was- Wait!

"Kairi..." Sora muttered, as the memory of Kairi in much less violet than she wore now, flashed through his mind, and filled him in on what he'd been forgetting. He recalled, then, the first time he and Kairi had really met. It had been in art class when they were four, and their sort of zany teacher had had erasers that smelled like nail polish remover. Kairi, who had sat across from Sora then, had been quick to cherish such a thing, but Sora had cheekily remarked—as he put his hands behind his head for the first time—that they would have been better if they smelled like gasoline.

And Kairi... well, Kairi had remarked that as long as Sora did that funny pose again, she'd find a way to make just that sort of eraser for him. She'd promised him that. That, and a copy of the game board they'd made together for a project (that Sora'd acted sad to get rid of, but had truthfully given to Kairi because he thought she deserved it more).

To tell the truth, as silly and childish as the memory really was, Sora had called upon it many, many times over the years. In good times and in bad, Sora would remember the first time he'd really met the sweet Kairi, and dream of being with her like he was now. Though he'd entertained the idea many times in jest (that if they ever ended up together, that should have been Kairi's anniversary gift to him), now to actually having her give the articles to him in some way... Sora thought, for a moment, that it might have been _good _that their world might end tomorrow. For even if it didn't (and Sora sure didn't want it to!), this memory would always hold weight for him and Kairi no matter what they did, or where they went, for all of eternity. And Sora knew, without a doubt, that it was exactly meant to be that way.

"Now, don't be giving me that look, Sora. Just because I remembered this today, and you didn't- Eep!" As it was, Kairi's cheeky words were effectively silenced when Sora sat down beside her, and their shoulders accidentally brushed. When that happened, and Sora remembered easily that he didn't mind when _cotton_ brushed together. After all, it was when Kairi had bumped into him in a cotton shirt that had brought them together. After she'd "assaulted" Sora by bumping into him, Kairi had promised to be his partner in making their board game together, and…to this day, his Kairi was just as silly.

Also, as Sora smiled and blushed the slightest bit at their memories together, he had to admit he'd imagined his and Kairi's shoulders brushing other ways, too, and right now… right now was probably the best way he'd ever thought of it. With Kairi's head resting on his shoulder, so that her red hair spilled over her shoulders and into his face, Sora was almost amused that Kairi's hair in his face didn't bother him at all, but his own...

"Don't you even act like me giving you those things was the best thing I could have ever done, Sora! It was long overdue, and it was lame to carve the game board on the eraser. You can't even use it now, so-"

"Kairi, shut up," Sora laughed partially at Kairi's shocked face, but mostly because he'd just been reminded of something else. "You're such a hypocrite. If you can be glad Riku gave you flowers via your Keyblade, I can enjoy that you put the game board on this eraser. I mean, this'll be so cool! Just think about it, I can have Riku join in, and see if we know any small Hot Wheels small enough to race on this!"

And there it was. For the first time that night, really, Sora noted that he hadn't once thought about their imminent end (not since Kairi had brought out the eraser she'd made for him). Instead, Sora had imagined coming back to this very spot with Kairi the next day. And as Sora laid with Kairi in the area he'd always wanted to have a date with her, there was almost no denying they would meet like this again. Sora had dreamed and dreamed before going to take his Mark of Mastery exam that he could talk about stars with Kairi in this place and since they hadn't talked of them with her yet… it seemed as though Sora had one more promise to keep when it came to Kairi.

Nestling his face into Kairi's hair for the umpteenth time that day, Sora took in the sweet smell of her skin, and knew that the only thing he'd have to worry about the next day would be the dandruff flakes in her hair, since she hadn't washed it today with him taking her time, and nothing else. No. Nothing else at all.

"You're so funny, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed after undoubtedly having come up with no explanation for his strange remark. Then, as she began crawling over to him again, Sora was about to ask Kairi if she was meaning to start up their makeout session again (well, what did you know? Her snide comments were rubbing off on him more and more), but when he found the lace of Kairi's dress going into his mouth accidentally (proving that the taste of it was nothing as bad as the feel and sound of it), Sora found that it was _he_ trying to grab onto her hips, and start their kissing up again. However, when Sora's hands completely missed and grabbed her face instead, Sora thought he knew exactly where this all was going. They were_ definitely_ going to continue their ministrations in some ways, at least, then.

"I want to kiss you upside down, Sora," Kairi explained, as she ran a hand over his face (to which Sora closed his eyes at, for the nice feeling). "But I actually feel like this might be a terrible idea, but oh well. It is what it is."

And it certainly was that. Before Sora could react in the slightest, he soon found Kairi leaning over his face, and meeting her lips with his. Though he tried as well as he could to make it into a good kiss (and to not lose his title of a good lip-locker), Sora found that even when he moved his lips to meet Kairi's, the angle messed everything up. In fact, Sora instead found he was almost licking at Kairi's lips the way he would an ice cream cone.

Laughing a bit at that, and imagining perhaps it was a _good_ thing to be kissing her like this (as the lion in Sora was seeming very pleased to be licking Kairi, even if they weren't in the Pride Lands), Sora soon found himself wondering if Kairi had a lion form, too. It wouldn't have made much sense, really. But since they were soul mates, and their hearts connected, it would have made perfect sense, wouldn't it have?

Knowing exactly what he had to do then, Sora found himself mimicking his position from earlier, and straddling Kairi as he guided her to lie down beneath him. And though it was true he was enjoying kissing Kairi like this _much_ better than in the position they'd been in before, there was another reason for it, too: the knowledge that he'd been in a similar position in begging Saïx to take him to Kairi.

Sora had understood later, that almost in accordance to him having told Saïx that Kairi meant everything to him, Kairi had also said the same thing in talking to the blue haired member. Also, when Donald and Goofy had left Sora after he'd lost the Keyblade, he'd been kneeling on the ground then, too. Somehow, Kairi always left Sora in such a state, and yet wouldn't have changed that for the world, because Kairi was willing to give everything up for him, too. After all, he had seen well when Kairi had jumped from The World That Never Was balcony to get to him, only to land in much the same way he had over the years. _Kairi_...

"Sora, baby, what is it?" Kairi asked, seemingly having noticed Sora's attention elsewhere but their kiss. Looking down at her, Sora had to once again marvel at the beauty and the fire in Kairi's eyes, and the way her hair made a halo around her head. Even if no one else was… surely Kairi would be okay in the battle tomorrow, for if she fell down like this, who could ever harm such a beautiful creature?

Reaching down in a bit of a trance, Sora was quick to find himself speaking aloud—speaking from his heart—but there never would have been anything better for it, would there have?

"Sorry, Kairi. I guess I space out in a similar way to Yeul does. And speaking of which... even if we die tomorrow, I know I'll be reincarnated a thousand times over to be with you."

And though Kairi cocked her head to the side and looked at Sora questioningly, Sora saw that her mouth quickly went slack; the words that she had meant to say seemed to disappear, she just smiled at Sora sweetly and happily, taking his words for the romantic poetry they really were.

Poetry... Huh. It seemed as though Sora had learned to say pretty words, too, didn't it? He and Kairi really were connected through and through, weren't they?

"You're so silly, Sora; using words like that and whatnot, but I don't need them. All I need is to feel young with you, and know that you listened to me. That you never changed."

After Kairi's words registered in Sora's heart, and he understood the deep meaning behind them, he was very quick to lean in and kiss Kairi's cheeks lovingly. Though the real reason Sora was elated at the little moment they were having now was because of the way Kairi laughed (and looked at Sora with happy tears in her eyes)... the real magic of their moment came from the words she'd just said.

Yes, even through everything Sora had been through, he really had remained the little boy he'd promised Kairi he would, and Sora… he was so glad that Kairi had retained her own light and persona. For ones that had had their childhood taken away too early, perhaps all they wanted and needed now was to fit back into the folds of normalcy. And maybe that was even why their relationship worked.

And maybe, just maybe… that was the way the multiverse worked, too, and why it would be saved despite Xehanort's beliefs. The Light in the heart of children had saved them all, hadn't they? And Sora (and Kairi, perhaps most of all) knew they would continue to do so for eternity. For as many times as it took.

Wanting to make up for all the time he'd lost (partially in remembering he'd just unintentionally quoted Xemnas), Sora ended up grabbing onto Kairi's hand, and held it until the dawn came. Ever since she'd been pulled away from him at Kingdom Hearts, Sora had wished more and more that he'd never lost the feel of her hand in his, and that he could spend forever holding her to make up for it all someday.

As Kairi chose to hold onto Sora's other hand in much the same way, Sora thought she too must have felt the same. That she too didn't want to risk losing him if Kingdom Hearts was brought back again.

Pulling out Kairi's broken nail again, Sora quickly tossed it aside. There was no need to worry about Kairi tomorrow, after all. She would be just fine. In the end, everything would be just fine.

And as Kairi began ripping at Sora's shirt (in what Sora laughingly said she was trying to make look like Kingdom Hearts), the two lovers would later remember that that had been the first article of clothing they'd removed before making love for the first time. And funnily enough, it was quite the nice contrast to how Sora had originally been banned from seeing Kairi for being caught removing her shirt. Everything really was coming full circle, and soon enough, Sora knew he and Kairi would get the normal lives they'd always wanted. He believed it without a doubt.

And Wherever Kairi's parents were at the moment, Sora hoped that they would soon be giving him their blessing when he… when he asked Kairi to marry him.

**Author's Note: Ask me if you don't get the name of this piece, I'm too lazy to explain it here.**

**Anyway, first and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH! I hope you like this, friend. You're so amazing, and I'm just so blessed to have you in my life! Hope you're having a fantastic day so far! –hugs-**

**Also, I must apologize in advance about a couple of things. One, the mistakes. Even though I edited this a lot, I'm sure there's still many, many mistakes. The main problem? I wrote some of this going on three years ago, and my writing's improved a lot since then. And though I meant to catch all of the mistakes I made back then… I probably didn't, sadly. Sorry.**

**Something else: I have no idea why this is so steamy. Huh. Like I said, I actually wrote a lot of this three years ago (and decided to brush it up, and finish it for Josh's birthday), so I have no idea why I originally wrote all that I did with this. Weird. Although, I sort of don't regret it, because Sora and Kairi need some lovin'. And this is still rated "T", so…**

**By the way, erasers that smell like gasoline actually exist. Like how it (sort of) went in this story, my art teacher had them, and all the boys loved them for some reason. So I thought that might be a cute thing for one of Sora and Kairi's early memories together. And to remind people that Sora is not a girl! Grr! I'm so scared by some of the stuff I've seen where fans make Sora so girly, or worse, into a girl! WTH? **

**I also meant to show people that I don't think Kairi is anywhere near as frilly as she's sometimes made out to be. She was an outright tomboy in the first game, and she was a bit girlier in the second game, but not anywhere near as bad as some people say, I think. Really, people! Kairi's a feisty little badass. Just sayin.'**

**Anyway, I really hope you liked this, Josh (even though I personally thought it was a little weird, and disjointed, for reasons I stated above, but meh). Love ya.**

"**See" you all later!**

**-Shan**

******Edit: And if anyone wonders why it was "okay" for Sora and Kairi to make love at the end of the story, and not earlier in it, here's the reason why. Earlier they were sort of in a "dream world", and thinking they were going to die the next day. At the end, though, they knew what was going to happen the next day (and weren't denying it), but were also feeling hopeful about things. They weren't just giving up on ever being together again, and that made all the difference, so there. **


End file.
